Homework compilation of participants of the seminar

„Identifying youth work and youth work quality”

Homework is a set of questions which was answered by participants of the seminar. Questions are divided into three groups according to dimension and profile of participants – policy level, practice and youth (each group should fulfil specific questions). This exercise was intended as preparation firstly for discussion on youth work and youth work quality, secondly to create bases for comparison of youth work in different countries.

Answers by different representatives are coloured in different colour – Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia.

Policy level

1) What is the legal status of youth work and its definition (if there is none, how it is perceived by youth policy agenda?)?

In the Decree concerning the conduct of a Flemish policy on the rights of youth and children (18/07/2008) there is a definition of youth work and youth worker:

youth work: socio-cultural work on the basis of non-commercial goals for or by young people between the ages of three and thirty years, inclusive in the area of leisure time, under educational guidance, with the purpose of promoting the general and integrated development of young persons who participate in the same on a voluntary basis;

youth worker: any person who assumes responsibilities for youth work and who possesses demonstrable experience or who makes efforts in the field of education or training in connection with youth work;

Legal status of youth work is defined in Youth Law of Republic of Latvia, which has been adopted and proclaimed by President of Republic of Latvia in 28 May, 2008. Within the meaning of this Law youth work is a set of planned youth-oriented practical measures, which ensure the improvement of their life quality.

A) Legal documentation

Legally, the terms youth work and youth worker for the first time are defined in the Concept on Open Youth Centres and Spaces (signed by Director of Department of Youth Affairs on 9-th of April, 2010). In practice, youth work exists in Lithuania for about 20 years with no legal background.

The general plan and aim is to put the definition into the Law on Youth Policy Framework.

Youth work is defined as activity of social, informational educational, cultural or other character which is implemented together with young people or their groups, based on their needs, and aiming to involve and integrate a young person into his/her social environment as well as empower him/her to consciously and actively participate in personal and public life. In the context of Youth Policy, Youth work is delivered by Youth workers.

Upcoming legal documents (they are in the process of preparation and about to be signed in the next couple of months) with the legal definitions are:

- Concept on Non-Formal Education - Youth Policy Strategy

B) Actions

An inter-institutional work group created at the Department. It consists of representatives of the: - Department, - Ministry of Social Security and Labour, - Ministry of Education and Science, - Lithuanian Children and Youth Centre (art school), - Agency of Youth International Cooperation (administrates the Youth in Action programme in Lithuania) - Lithuanian Youth Council (umbrella NGO that unites the largest Lithuanian youth organizations) - Association of Non-Formal Education (NGO which unites youth workers and trainers) To ensure that the work is smoother, the group was divided and now the Department, the Agency and the NGOs are working on the definition of youth worker, also his aims, goals, qualification requirements, basic competences, possible accreditation levels. After the smaller group finishes, it will bring the results to the larger group and start meetings with specialists of the areas where we see the work-place of youth workers (such as sports, culture, art schools, etc.)

Youth work definition comes from the Youth Act, which was accepted by the Parliament in 1999. This year we hope to get a new Youth Act, because there has been a big change in the field. But youth work definition is-the creation of conditions for young people for activities which facilitate their development and enable them to be active outside their families, formal education acquired within the adult education system and work on the basis of their free will.

2) What are national (or regional if suitable) plans for youth work development?

The Decree concerning the conduct of a Flemish policy on the rights of youth and children (18/07/2008) says that at the latest one year and a half after the commencement of each legislature, the Flemish Government will submit a Flemish youth policy plan to the Flemish Parliament. This youth policy plan determines the integrated youth policy of the Flemish Government and pays particular attention to youth work policy and children's rights. This plan set out the objectives of the Flemish Government in all its fields of competence and will determine the result indicators within a total vision of youth, youth policy and the rights of children.

The Flemish Government approve the youth policy plan after consultation of young people, where at least the following be involved: the Youth Council, experts on the

subject of youth, associations which receive an operating subsidy, representatives of local and provincial authorities and the Flemish Community Commission.

Every year the Flemish Government provide a written report to the Flemish Parliament and the Commissioner for Children's Rights concerning the execution of the youth policy plan, the implementation of the rights of the child and the international initiatives taken from the various policy fields in the area of policy on the rights of youth and children and respect for the rights of the child in countries or regions with which the Flemish Community has concluded an exclusive and general cooperation agreement confirmed by decree.

The national plans are defined in Youth policy guidelines from 2009-2018 (hereinafter – Guidelines) and currently there are going in Parliament amendments in Youth law in order to promote planned youth work development in municipalities.

Main aims according to Guidelines:

a) to promote youth work which is planned in long terms, adopted to local situation and needs of local youth in local municipalities;

b) to promote youth affairs coordinator (specialist or other institution which is responsible for youth work implementation and youth policy coordination in municipalities) and youth centre network;

c) to promote improvement of youth affairs coordinator professionalism in municipalities and promote quality of youth work;

d) to promote youth participation in decision – making process by development of youth councils and consultative commissions of youth affairs in municipalities;

e) to provide state financial and informative support to local municipalities in the field of youth affairs.

On issue about youth organisation actions in Latvia, currently there are going also in Parliament amendments in Youth law in aim to develop regulation of youth organisation registration and counting on national level. It will in future facilitate participation of youth organizations in national and regional level decision – making process in order to get know better youth needs and interests.

The Department of Youth Affairs is implementing a project in the frames of which a youth workers’ accreditation methodology and system will be created, tested in one Lithuanian region, developed and then launched on the national level. The testing will start this year and 100 persons will go through it. During the second stage, after the methodology is refined, it will include 500 youth workers.

This year the new Yout Work Act will be accepted and in 2013 the new Youth work stradegy will be made. Estonian youth work has taken the directon for integrated youth work, this kind of approach sees a young persoon as a whole. As well our government hopes to have more money to support youth work, but basically for development it depends how much money we have. It is certain that we are going to continue the activities we have right now, but how much new activities we can do depends on the money.

Estonian government really wants to make a programme to recognise youth work and youth workers, this is the thing what I am actually working on. The aim in the near futuure are to have the same programme every year. And now we are working on a system to gett data, statistics and analyses on different youth fields every year, so the policy and decisions can be based on statistics as well.

3) What structures and institutions are youth work related?

Governmental Non-governmental Participation

Flemish Agency for socia-cultural work for youth and adults

Youth organisations. For example: Umbrella organisations and services to youth work

Flemish Youth Council

Provincial Provincial youth services

Regional branches of youth organisations and services

Provincial Youth Council

Local Local youth services/Local youth coordinator

local initiatives and organisations. For example:Play ground activities, Youth houses

Municipal Youth Council

Youth policy in Latvia is cross - sectoral (integrated) therefore planning and implementation of youth cannot proceed without cooperation between different institutions. Different ministries (Ministry of Education and Science as coordinator of youth policy implementation, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Welfare etc.) carry out youth policy in specific directions and issues, NGO, municipalities are also involved in youth policy implementation (youth work)

Main actors of youth policy planning and youth work implementing on a regional and local level are Consultative boards of municipal youth affairs, municipal youth affairs coordinators (youth workers), youth centres in municipalities, Children and youth centres in municipalities, pupils' councils, youth NGO’ s etc.

On national level cooperation and participation in implementing youth policy is ensured by the Ministry of Education and Science by establishing consultative and coordinating institutions to ensure youth participation and cooperation among state administration, municipal institutions and nongovernmental organizations in youth policy.

Municipal youth affairs coordinators in Latvia work with young people and youth initiative groups and with youth organizations in different directions: employing leisure time, voluntary work, non-formal education, ensuring of youth participation in the local municipal administration.

Youth centre is significant stage between "passive" and "active" young person, it is a place where is available friendly, open and supporting environment for young people with different interests and life experience. Youth centre cooperates with different persons, who are involved in youth policy implementation process (different

institutions of municipalities, youth organizations, as well as with state administrative institutions).

The main legal document is the Law on Youth Policy Framework which defines the principles, fields, organisation and management of the implementation of youth policy

The main institutions are these:

- Department of Youth Affairs prepares and implements state youth policy programmes and measures, analyses the condition of youth and youth organisations in Lithuania, co-ordinate the activities of state and municipal institutions as well as agencies in the field of youth policy, carries out other activities related to youth and youth organisations. - Ministry of Social Security and Labour - Municipal Coordinators for Youth Affairs - Lithuanian Youth Council: a youth organisation the principal purpose of which is to unite youth organisations of Lithuania and to represent them.

In Estonia youth work is under the Ministry of Education and Research. In that ministry we have a youth department. This youth department is working together with Estonian Youth Work Centre. But there are other ministries related to youth work as well- Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Culture. So in some topics these ministries are also in the process. This was the government level. Next level is County governors, we have 15 of these. They have 4 main tasks: to share information, to make youth centre programmes, organize juvenile’s commission and organize provincial youth councils. And the third level is local governments/city councils. In this level our government doesn´t interfere and local governments have to implement youth work on their own and they have to make youth work strategies.

Of course in with the Ministry of Education we have different kind of foundations, where youth projects get money.

4) What is long term vision of youth work and what is the long term aim of supporting youth work?

Empowering young people.

The long term vision of youth work and aim are connected with the given answer on 3rd question. But it is necessary to stress that the main vision of youth work is that:

In local municipalities will be improved institutional system in order to ensure youth work and will be improved state financial and informative support as a system to local municipalities in the field of youth affairs. At the same time youth work which is provided in society will have long term impact on life quality of youth.

The general plan and aim in simple words is to get youth work and youth workers acknowledged as such, by actors of all relative areas. Another goal is to have a functioning youth worker accreditation and support system in Lithuania.

As I mentioned before, the aim is to continue the actions and funding we have right now and hopefully in the future we have more money. Long term vision is written in the Youth work strategy, but in 2013 there will be a new strategy, so it’s not that clear yet what is going to be there. As well we have ESF programme „Developing youth work quality“ the aim is to continue with these activities what are developed during this programme in the future.

5) What fields of action is covered by youth work?

In the leisure time organise activities for and by youth people.

As youth policy in Latvia is cross – sectoral there is no one responsible ministry which is covering all fields of action therefore different line- ministries and institutions carry out youth policy in specific directions. With drafting Guidelines cross-sector approach has been visibly increased. As objective of guidelines is to achieve harmonized coordination and implementation of youth policy on state and local level, identifying priority action lines and policy results, creating vision after 10 years connected to youth life quality and realization of youth policy three main dimensions of youth policy were defined were state interferences are necessary according to CoE recommendations: a) dimension of youth policy coordination; b) dimension of youth participation and useful utilization of leisure time; c) dimension of youth social and economical growth and support to youth competitiveness and inclusion in society.

Guidelines include different youth policy horizontal directions, which are other field competences and is on evidence based, as example: -active youth participation in decision making process and youth organizations and nonformal groups; -youth voluntary work; -youth participation in physical activities and culture life; -children and youth camps; -youth health; -educational aspects and youth mobility; -youth employment; -legal aspects of youth behavior and violence against young people; -youth social protection.

Main activities which are realized by state financial support in youth field are defined in Youth policy program for years 2009 – 2013 (concrete measures and activities), which has been adopted on 27th of August 2009.

In Latvia almost in all fields of action of youth work are happening different activities in order to improve youth life quality: information, participation in decision - making, voluntary work, health, labour, integration, education etc. But it is often more short

term activities not long term therefore it is necessity to find better way how to make this system to be effective and integrated, linked with strength connection.

A very general view of what we see as area of youth work would be this:

Hobby education, counselling, information, international youth work, special youth work, (research on youth work), training and seminars, healthy and developing youth creations, work education (working camps), prevention youth work, youth organisations.

6) What are the best and the bad practice examples of state (regional) level activities to support youth work?

Best practice: to give structural support to youth organisations and plan based-working.

Bad practice: to create too much structures. It’s not clear for the youth organisations and youngsters to find the correct information provider.

Best: a) Providing of trainings, courses, exchange experience, professional development to youth workers. b) Development of youth affairs coordinators and youth centers network. c) Facilitation of youth organization activities on local level. d) Methodological and informative support to local municipalities, for example, overall indicators for evaluation of local youth work in aim to facilitate youth policy

Youth work

Work with non-organized youth

Work with organized youth

Organizations working with young people

Youth organizations

Youth worker

Culture

Sports

Education

Social work

...

Open youth work Open Spaces

Open Youth Centres

implementation in municipalities which is harmonized with state youth policy and based on good practice from other municipalities. In the field of youth information system there has been developed youth policy and youth opportunity web page www.jaunatneslietas.lv. Local municipalities and youth worker have possibility to get consultations and advices from Education and Science ministry in the field of youth policy. e) Development of legal basis to youth work which provide opportunities to promote youth work system in Latvia. Bad: f) No one common youth work system which is suitable to all municipalities. But at this moment if will be approved amendments in Youth law than it will be defined more concrete institutional system in youth field which must be developed in municipalities. g) Misunderstanding of society about youth work meaning and difference between school and youth work (more influence of historical background of youth work in Latvia).

Probably the bad practice would be that there is almost no practice of supporting youth work in Lithuania. Some youth organizations have their internal practices of educating their youth workers, but there are [far too] few activities that support youth work.

One of examples is the developing system for supporting Open Youth Centres and Spaces which in general terms includes the following steps:

- Introduction: basic training for the people who would like to work with young people accordingly to the concept of Open youth work;

- Consulting youth workers on site: a consultant goes to the place and helps the youth workers find answers to the concerning questions;

- Training for advanced youth workers of the Open Centres / Spaces;

- Evaluation of results and planning further development.

Good practice of youth work is definitely Working camps, because they are very popular among youngsters. Of course the Teeviit and lots of courses. Bad practice is when someone gets money to do a project or to organize a camp, but actually they don´t use the money as they said they will and these things do happen time to time.

Practice

1) What is practical aim of youth work?

• Youth learning to work together with other people from there same or a different age. • Empowering.

1. Encourage young people to become comprehensively developed.

2. To develop youth participation in political, economical, social life and culture process in local national and international level.

To provide information, leisure time activities for young people and place to do it, to meet and to communicate

To develop young personality to positive direction by facilitating raising up (growth) activity, facilitating youth initiatives and providing non-formal learning atmosphere/activities, free, creative space

I think that all youth organization has same general aim to develop life skills: A) Social awareness B) Responsibility C) Consciousness D) Poise E) relationship skills

Life skills should be come with other practical activities in all youth organization. Scouting is a human education and training of Scout founder Lord Robert Baden Powell established methods. Living in camps, physical and spiritual self-education, trips, tours - it is essential scout activities. Scouting is a way of life and much deeper.

The practical aim of youth work is communicating with youngsters. They need someone trustworthy, reliable and safe by their side. As well one side is offering them activities to keep them away from crime and wandering on the streets.

Some of them may be cant get enough attention and support from their own families, then practical youth work is one possibility to give them information for future. We give also practical help to communicate with different organisations.

This is also possibility to give alternative activities for youngsters not to fool around.

2) How is youth work quality measured? What are practical indicators supporting work done?

• The number of members and activities you’re doing; • The “happy faces” of the children and young people; • To do a quality control on the activities.

-In Talsi district there is advisory board of youth matters which is responsible for making strategies of youth policy and programme for protecting youth interests.

The board was founded in December 17, 1998 and is an advisory institution of Talsi district local government, it works as one of the commissions of local government and work in it has been done without recompense.

The board consists of leaders of the sectors and specialists which are connected in their work with the youth matters.

The advisory board summarized the work done in youth field and make new challenges for the youth work.

-Talsi district children and youth centre every year getting information from all district youth centres and schools pupil governments about the situation in they work and all activities what they have done.

The quality is measured by quantity (how many young people are involved, are interested, are participating) and quality (what do youngsters think about all this stuff whether they like it, they except or no) How active they are in community, are they seen and heard.

Our organization does not have established a system to help evaluate youth work. I know that other youth organizations have the systems to assist in evaluating youth work, but they are about 20 percent.

I should say that I measure the quality about the feedback I get from my youngsters. Also when working at the youth centre I see the increasing amount of youngsters visiting.

Measuring the quality of youth work is very difficult in Shelter House. The real feedback for work we have done can come only with years. Does it shows good work that the house is full of children – I don’t think so, does it shows good quality if shelter house is empty...

Maybe thats good if there are less of those who end in prisons?

3) What activities are proposed for young people as youth work activities?

• Leisure time activities: playing ground activities, youth clubs, youth movements, red cross youth,…

-Every youngster have possibility to participate in the school pupil government.

-In Talsi district there are 9 youth organizations and 7 youth centres where youngsters can participate every day after school.

-Participation in different kind of seminars, youth projects, trainings, non-formal education, contests, charity events.

Information (info points, meetings, mini seminars, consulting individually), facilitation of initiatives, youth clubs as a place and company to realize ideas – initiatives, non-formal education activities, space for meeting, playing games, etc.

Most popular with the youth work activities for young people are: A) Arts activities B) Sports activities C) volunteer activities (the last couple of years) D) Ideological Movements E) Social activities

Spending time, playing games at the youth centres. Mobile youth work on streets. Organizing events, parties, competitions etc.

4) What cooperation networks are there to support youth work practice?

On national level: the organisation: “Youth-ngo supporting service”

On local level: the national umbrella-organisations gives the local youth organisations the possibility to work together. The local organisations are also meeting together in the local youth council.

-Talsi district children and youth centre youth organization “TAS.ES” is organize seminars one time in a month for all Talsi district youngsters who are representatives from each Talsi district youth organization or pupil government. During the seminars they have possibility to share their experience.

-Also Talsi district children and youth centre makes seminars for Talsi district youth workers and teachers who are working with pupil governments. During the seminars they have possibility to share their experience.

Trainings, seminars, experience exchanges, Europe information systems like Eurodesk, youth coordinators, youth centres contacts, personal contacts, NGOs.

Lithuanian Youth Council (LiJOT) – the biggest non-governmental, non-profit umbrella structure for Lithuanian national youth organizations and regional unions of youth organizations.

Usually the local municipality does support youth work, as well as co-operation with various institutions. And at Rakvere we do co-operating with the local police, so we could have more influence in youngster behaviour, keeping them away from trouble.

Shelter house is doing cooperation with psychologists who support them and let them talk about situation in family or school.

We do also cooperation with Child Protection Service, who give us possibilities to contact with parents.

5) What networks, programs, support should be there to aid youth work?

• Sites, newsletters, youth-councils, districts teams, umbrella-organisations, material support,…

- More financial support.

- More support in national level for teachers who are working with pupil governments.

Youth worker in every municipality

I think we must create one global system for the youth work. These systems must include elements: • Recommendations for the youth worker • seminars for youth workers about youth work

There should be more information about the law conserning youngsters. I have had lots of questions about what are my rights and what can and cant the youngsters do.

So probably youth workers should cooperate more with the police. Usually the youngsters who go to youth centres they are a lack of something at home and mostly they have been in contact with the police. They have probably also troubles at school.

Youth workers should interact more with the local schools – I see a lot of youngsters who won’t attend in school but come to youth centre. This is a problem and we should fight against it. Schools should be more concern about their pupils – mostly who are in trouble and who don’t study as well as they could.

Many youngsters should see a psychologist but they dont talk with them – youth centres should have their own psychologist on spot at least once a week.

6) What should be needed and what is asked from young people in context of youth work?

- Volunteering engagement;

- Energy;

- A lot of their leisure time.

-Active participation, but voluntary based. -Create ideas and realise with youth worker. - Pay attention to they and other youngsters problems. -Develop skills to work in a team - Take part in the social life - Plan and realise activities -Evaluate activities and other enterprises -Look for society`s support. Get to know what happens in each school and youth centre; -Get information and experience; -Make contacts; -Organize and take part into forums, conferences, projects and other different enterprises in the state; -Take part in the process of making decisions in the local governments; -Make investigation of young people interests and needs and make suggestions how to solve them to the youth matters advisory board etc. Interest, willing to find out new experiences, then motivation and bravness to take responsibility, creativity if making some actions, spent/give their time for action

Everyone's needs are different, but at the same time similar. In context of youth work I think young people come to take experience new life skills. Meet people who have same interests. Every young person wants to belong to someone. Work with young people must be organized for the young man should be the choice of what to do and with whom.

Mostly they need a possibility to meet friends, to have place where feel free, do some actions, to do their homework. They can have also possibility to join some excursion or some camp they usually would not be able to join.

7) What are the best and the bad practice examples of youth work activities?

- Best practice: Training courses for volunteers;

- Bad practice: Every one is thinking his or she has the best activity. They are not working together.

Youth day of Talsi district “We are, do, can together” , where all youth organizations and pupil government representatives take part in it. There are already ~ 1500 participants and spectators. The enterprise has become a tradition now for 7 years.

All youth organization have possibility to show they work and experience in activities, get new ideas for future plans.

Bad: teachers from school controlling leisure time activities, especially non-formal learning activities, not exactly voluntary then. Organizing events for youth not involving them in the process or without asking ideas – if its necessary or no.

Good: youngsters are creating events, activities, projects, etc. themselves, just getting support from youth worker. No pushing from youth worker, no manipulations. “Summer school for youth work” – for active youngsters from municipality, where developing their personal attitudes, values, leader skills & competences.

I think the best example of my organization Lithuanian Scouts Association. Scout activities began then I was 14 years old. I grew up in the youth organization. Now am developing other young men using the ideology of Boy Scouts. Boy Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell set up Column system and the system is working perfectly. Bad practice example when the youth worker to target with violence against children. Youth workers should be use same standards for working with young people. If youth worker having good social and emotional skills every youth worker feel better working with young people

In my practice and by noticing others work I should say that BAD PRACTICE Is when youth workers get too involved in youngsters life, you shouldn’t get too personal with them. Is when youth workers share to much about themselves – they will be to vulnerable and will burn If youth worker intervenes too much and tyres to solve their personal issues – sometimes is good but mostly it is bad. It will cause more conflicts. Usually youth workers in Estonia won’t work at the same place for a long time, and if the youngsters will get too attached to the youth worker that it can cause more problems when they need to leave. Then the youngster will feel abandoned. GOOD PRACTICE If the youth worker will notice the youngster – his/her needs – attention, lack of activity, her/his talents etc.

If the youth worker has time to play and communicate with the youngsters. They need a grownup to be there, they need the supervision. You must be the good and bad at the same time. So they would respect the rules of the youth centre. Youth worker must earn the respect first, before he or she can start to make new rules. Youth worker shouldn’t criticise youngsters, they must be more as friends who help to see that some things they do are not right. Youth workers have to give the youngsters opportunity to do some things themselves – participating in projects, organizing some event,

Youth

1) What do you think youth work is about and should be about?

• Young people learning to work with each other in group and also individual. You can also learn young people important things on a way they learn it while playing(first aid, traffic). Youngsters learn to be independent. Youngsters could also learn from other youngsters, share their thoughts,…

Youth work aim is on 13 – 25 years old young people. To take part in Youth work they can fill them leisure time with activities (cultural, education, sports), take get a advance, learning write a projects (basic on they own ideas) e,t,c. Working in youth work youngsters are learning how to be a good, smart, democratically persons.

Mostly it should be about youth. Making their life better, giving them opportunities to spend their free time doing something they like. I think that youth work in general and in Latvia is about how to improve the quality of young people’s life and how to help them to develop and stand on their own feet in their life. I think that youth work also “should be like this”.

I think youth work is specific educational work through non-formal methods and about experiental things, values, self improvement which often are not supplied in educational institutions such as schools, universities, colleges.

Youth work is a field, which tries to support youngsters development, preventing problems and making their life filled with fun and new knowledge. That is the ideal, reality might be different.

2) Does actual proposal of youth work meets the needs of young people?

• In Flanders i think every youngster find their thing, some youth-movements are very active, other are rather calm. But not every child or youngster has at this moment the opportunity to go to an activity of youth-work.

I think, if the young people want to do something the way is make a team between youth workers and youngsters, and work together. It`s need to listen in each of both sides, it’s need to collaborating, cooperative.

Sometimes, but not always. Always youth workers do not know what young people really need or want.

The proposal of youth work is to improve the quality of young people’s life and to help them to develop. I think that this proposal meets needs of young people, but sometimes (from my own experience) there are quite a lot of youngsters that don’t know what they want and what they need.

To evaluate if youth work meets the needs of young people i think is difficult, as for me i think it should be more identified and used in a proper way, because we can find pseudo „youth workers“ who do not understand by themselves what are they doing, and their work could be harmful.

I’m certain, it does. The problem might be that the focus is on self-motivated young people and the needs of children and youngsters who are afraid or just don’t know the possibilities for getting help/support are out of sight.

Another thing is that sometimes the events provided for young people tend to get too “leader-faced” (sports) or the popular activity (model/fashion contest). Also all the events do not have to be about competing, it should be more about doing things together to value eachother and purpose of the cooperation (for an example, petting and walking homeless dogs and cats in shelter. Awarness and values)

3) What are the limits of youth work in relation to lives of young people?

• Time: we think that every youth-leader can chose what the limit is for him or her. You can work till you drop and if that is what you want and you can do it there is no problem.

Youth worker also need be a some kind of psychologist, and of course there is an invisible border who are don’t need to brake. If young people want they can discus some problems with youth workers.

Many young people are not interested to take part in youth activities. Also if some are active, then sometimes they are active in too many places at once, so there’s always a time limit.

In my opinion, actually there are no specific limits of youth work. I think that there are a lot of possibilities for young people, but it’s only up to them – wherever they use it or not, so I suppose, that the only limits are what young people want and don’t want, their wishes and needs. Onley when youngsters say – don’t need it – this is the limit!

I think youth work covers almost all parts of live of young people, I think each situation is different and youth worker should identify how deep, how much his work should cover.

Problem is that often youth worker is expected to do the work of psychologist, teacher, ... other specialists and that’s something they are not able to do. And if they try, they are more easily getting stressed and even burn-out. There should be better (working) network between all specialist involved with young people.

Also a network between youthworkers (I personally have got many following questions in summercamp “what do we have to do when summer ends? Winter comes?”. They feel that autumn, winter and spring is for school and summer for other activities, but it certainly isn’t the thing.

4) What should young people do in order to support youth work done by state (or private if related) institutions?

They do volunteerworking already for the youth. They can maybe search for a better link between the different youth organisations.

Young person should reflect, give a feedback to institutions, participate in a process, do it as volunteer.

First of all, young people don’t need to be shy. Ask for them interesting information. And they need to come out with new, creative ideas. Together with help from state, private institutions we can find answers on all questions.

Take a part in it, give advise about how and what it should be. If youth are not interested in it and do not take a part, then it is difficult to do it.

I think that the main thing, that youngsters should do in order to support youth work, is to go to state (or private) institutions and to say, what they want to do and to what they need to reach it, that means, that young people should know, what they want and not to wait for situation, that institutions will come to them.

They should be motivated to participate in different activities. But motivating is youthworkers job. Important is that many things can be done with little or even no money (which is very important to understand nowadays).

5) What are best ways to approach young people in order to involve them in youth work activities?

• Folders at school, direct contact with youngsters, contact between youthleaders and youngsters that are interest.

Inform them in many ways. Lectures, seminars, unformal education, explain general ideas of youth work in non academically way. Need find out a interesting material, because all formal stuff they have in schools.

Usually, when it is done by young people. Youthful approach is also important. Of course there has to be many different activities to offer for young people, so they can choose the one they like and they are interested in.

In my experience, participating in different youth organizations and students self government, it is also still a good question without exactly answer. I have noticed, that in last 2 years the activity of young people is decreasing, and I don’t know exactly – why – so one of my suggestion about the best ways to approach the young people is to speak with them individually or to least try. You should find out each young person’s needs and wishes and according to it – you should search for an individual approach to everyone. Yes – its hard, but now I don’t know another suggestion.

Best way is to involve young person in youth work is become a friend to young person, Open work with youth, youth centers, qualificated youth workers, positive attitude – things should be widen, strengthen to make youth work activities usual in young person’s life.

Get them involved in all processes of events. Planning the events, organizing it and even evaluate it later. It’s a place to learn.

6) What is the best and the bad practice example in involving young people in youth work activities?

• The best: go to school to talk with the youngsters, giving miniworkshops, direct contact with youngsters

• What doesn’t work: bus to bus folders

Give, put information without explanation, examples. Just theory. It doesn’t work. Need to explain what the bonuses young people gets involve themselves in youth work ☺

Good examples- youth councils, youth parliament. That gives youth a chance to influence youth policy etc.

Bad examples- all youth workers are not qualified to do their job.

In my experience the bad practice example for this moment are youth organizations (not all, of course, but still – a lot of youth organizations) and Students self-governments. In last years I have noticed that very that very often youth organizations are working like business companies – and they don’t give an opportunity for youngsters to learn by doing and making mistakes. They wants to be all perfect and thats why also an amount of members in these organizations are decreasing. Very often the voluntary work in youth organizations isn’t valuated also.

As a good practice example I can mention teachers work in schools with youngsters (after lessons), what includes different events and projects. I suppose that teachers actually have a big role in a development of young person. For example, last week I

helped to organize a keyboarding competition between schools of Preili district. It is happening already for 9 years. And I noticed that its because of teachers that these pupils are participating, because there are almost all the same schools with the same teachers but with different youngsters.

Bad example is making something happen that youngsters are not interested in. And making it an obligation. Best is as described above – involving them in the whole process.